Alberta Health Response to Inquiry from Jill McAllister

Posted on by Angela D

Alberta resident Jill McAllister asked Alberta Health for any and all Lyme disease and tick related awareness that has been forwarded to Alberta physicians over the past two years.

This is the response she received today:

Thank you for visiting the Alberta Government feedback web site. Following is the response to your question prepared by Health :

Alberta Health received your inquiry regarding the Lyme disease and tick-related awareness that has been forwarded to Alberta physicians over the past two years.

Alberta Health provides public health notifiable disease management guidelines, notes for clinicians and laboratory interpretation documents for health care professionals and these are located in our public website at http://www.health.alberta.ca/professionals/notifiable-diseases-guide.html.

Alberta Health notifies physicians via Alberta Health Services Medical Officers of Health (MOHs) when there are new or updated guidance documents. The MOHs then inform the physicians in their zones of the new or updated guidance.

For example:
www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/hp/phys/if-hp-phys-moh-advisory-lyme-disease.pdf

Additionally, Alberta Health periodically provides program updates to the College of Physicians and Surgeon newsletter The Messenger: www.mailoutinteractive.com/Industry/LandingPage.aspx?id=1573535&p=1

Thank you for contacting Alberta Connects.

 

@NorthernRockiesLyme on Instagram

Posted on by Angela D

download up to mon pmWe’ve recently opened an account on Instagram, in order to reach more patients and to reach a more diverse group of outdoor-active people.

VISIT US: @northernrockieslyme

Visibility is key in terms of awareness and outreach, but also in terms of geographic awareness.

We are situated in one of the most beautiful regions of the world, visited by people from around the world.  One of the challenges patients face here is a lack of awareness of the true (and ever-expanding) distributions of Lyme disease, co-infections, and vectors among physicians and health agencies.  But the lack of public awareness is part of how most of us became long term patients, instead of acute-onset-treated former (short term patients), which also poses a threat to visitors to this region that may not adequately consider tick born diseases if mysterious symptoms arise later.

We plan to continue to share our donated photos there, via #lymeoutside, #recycledlyme, and #biteoustide #photosweep efforts earlier this year.  Tag us if you share photos you’d like us to share, too.

PicMonkey Collage all together

Spring 2015 Northern Rockies ‘tick season’ media coverage ~ patients still note room for improvement

Posted on by Angela D

One of many Lyme-related, broad scale commonalities in the Northern Rockies is that if and when Lyme disease is reported on, it is most often accompanied by the declaimer that Lyme is not present or not a concern in the region.  It is often stated that people should be careful of other tick born illnesses, or careful of Lyme when they travel.

This commonality stems from a larger, more dangerous, and more problematic commonality: the assertion by states, provinces, and relevant agencies that Lyme disease is not present.  This remains the case despite positive cases contracted in the region.  Even when these cases are followed up with phone calls from health agencies, patients are consistently reporting that their cases still somehow do not make it onto the map, and their areas remain unacknowledged (view our recent post regarding the Bitterroot study for a recent exception).

Continue reading Spring 2015 Northern Rockies ‘tick season’ media coverage ~ patients still note room for improvement

Wyoming Lyme Patient Needs Our Help

Posted on by Angela D

“My family needs me, the world needs me. Please help if you can.”

It takes a lot of courage to ask for help, and it is not something the patients we have met or worked with do lightly or easily.  For many, it takes months or years beyond the point of really needing help to finally be ready to ask for it…or, more likely, to no longer have a choice.

Continue reading Wyoming Lyme Patient Needs Our Help

Ravalli County Study Indicates Lyme Contracted in Montana

Posted on by Angela D

Many Montanans know that contracting Lyme in Montana is rare but possible.  Either through knowledge of pathogens and vectors, disease ecology, or personal experience with Lyme disease.

I am quite ‘biased’ on the matter, having contracted Lyme disease.  Multiple patients, some of whom have shared their stories here (with multiple more ready and willing to share with media to raise awareness) share this bias and this experience.

This study examines self reported cases — a beginning step patients feel should be taken by state health agencies immediately.

The results are in: Group releases findings of Lyme disease study in Ravalli County

Concluding their study, the team recommends: 1. establishing a statewide tick surveillance program to discover what ticks reside in Montana and what pathological agents they carry; 2. assuring that state-of-the-art two tier testing for Lyme disease is available and that healthcare providers know of it; 3. encouraging health-care providers to include Lyme disease in the differential diagnosis of the patient with symptoms of the disorder; and 4. participation in meaningful and related research.

BC Article Link & Event ~ Local woman tells nightmare of Lyme disease

Posted on by Angela D
*Any time you see good coverage, please take a moment to comment and thank the author for covering Lyme disease.

Local woman tells nightmare of Lyme disease

Awareness evening to be held in Squamish next week

Kerri Currier / Squamish Chief, June 4, 2015

Squamish is a gorgeous natural playground to raise a family. However, the security I had in nature came to a halt upon learning the reality of Lyme disease treatment in B.C. I presented to the walk-in clinic with half a tick in my arm and was told not to worry about Lyme in the area. I’m now dealing with late-stage Lyme disease, its long term treatment and costs.

Health Canada has confirmed that the southern mainland and coast of British Columbia are endemic for Lyme disease. Many people will never notice they were bit by a tick and erythema migrans rash will show up in less than 50 per cent of people, according to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (Canlyme). 

The foundation says current testing in Canada misses 62 per cent of Lyme. It should be a clinical diagnosis and it is commonly misdiagnosed. 

Kate’s Story ~ And a new and far away chapter in a local patient’s recovery

Posted on by Angela D

“Dealing with a life altering chronic pain and illness is like grieving for the death of someone close to you, except you are grieving for yourself and what you are unable to do now.”

Kate is about to embark on a very big and very far away chapter in her recovery.  Hers will be an international migration for care, and across the Rockies and beyond there are a touching number of Lyme patients pulling for her, excited and hopeful for this chapter to bring her the most that it possibly can toward her recovery.

Kate Lamport, Helena MT

Continue reading Kate’s Story ~ And a new and far away chapter in a local patient’s recovery

Featured Lyme Disease/Lyme Sucks Challenge ~ Thank You Ride For Lyme!

Posted on by Angela D

Thanks to Dan and Tanner of Ride For Lyme, and to Jan of Manitoba Lyme Disease!  You weren’t late at all, we knew you’d be good for it!

We said we’d make your donation on your behalf, but we’ll send one in to Canlyme (Lyme Sucks Challenge) in addition to ILADS (Lyme Disease Challenge), as we should have thought of that in the first place!

What a lovely, lovely, lovely location!  Lyme-a-rita is a nice and fitting touch (nicely done Jan).

You can see our challenge here and additional featured regional challenges and challenge info here.

Featured Lyme Sucks Challenge ~ Ride for Lyme and Manitoba Lyme Disease in Winnipeg

Posted on by Angela D

Global News covered Jan Cmela leading the Manitoba Lyme Disease Lyme Sucks Challenge in Winnipeg with Dan and Tanner of Ride for Lyme! You can also see all three in the following featured challenge, which we are particularly fond of (you’ll see why).

Technically this one is out of region, but symbolically, we’ve decided it’s in, since they were just in the region, and because it’s the first chance to cover a Lyme Sucks Challenge along side our featured Lyme Disease Challenges.

Per their facebook post that day:

Thanks to Global News Winnipeg for capturing the largest‪#‎lymesuckschallenge‬ that we(and possibly anyone) have been a part of so far. Thanks for everything Winnipeg, those limes don’t get any sweeter eh?

Video:

http://globalnews.ca/video/2027898/ride-for-lyme-goes-nationwide

More challenges and challenges links here.

ride for lyme lyme sucks challenge winnipeg 2ed ride for lyme lyme sucks challenge winnipeg 3ed

ride for lyme lyme sucks challenge winnipeged ride for lyme lyme sucks challenge winnipeg 4ed